Rose Harissa Pasta with Garlicky Aubergine

Aubergine and rose harissa…what can I say? I guess working at Ottolenghi for half a decade has left its mark on me. Contrary to any real Ottolenghi recipe though, this one is quick, easy and doesn’t involve a ton of niche ingredients — only a few!

I came up with this whilst hangry and with absolutely no fresh ingredients in the house, which is why the original version didn’t involve fried aubergine and barely any real cooking. I simply cooked some pasta, mixed in rose harissa and sprinkled on a vegan’s favourite topping — ‘cheesy’ nutritional yeast.

And well, I liked it. A lot more than anticipated. And because more is more in my book, the next time I made it, I added more harissa and more nutritional yeast and, to make it a proper meal, added the garlicy, pan fried aubergine.

You asked for something quick and easy, here is something quick and easy-ish. I’m sorry and you’re welcome!

Ingredients

1 large aubergine

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp rose harissa

5 tbsp nutritional yeast

200g spaghetti

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

1. Wash the aubergine, remove the green bit and cut it into slices, roughly 1cm thick.

2. Put the sliced aubergine into a bowl and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Mix well, making sure all slices are evenly coated. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and mix again.

3. Heat up a large frying pan on high heat without any oil. After five minutes (or once the pan is hot), distribute the aubergine slices across the pan, making sure it’s not crowded. If your pan cannot accommodate the aubergine easily, cook in batches.

4. The aim is to cook your aubergine until soft and evenly browned. This should take around 10 minutes but will take longer if you’re cooking in batches. I like to get the pan very hot for the first few minutes and then turn it down to a medium-high heat. If the aubergine starts to burn you can add a little (!) oil and turn down the heat slightly.

5. While the aubergine is sizzling away, bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook your pasta according to package instruction.

5. When the aubergine slices are all soft and golden brown, take them out of the pan and cut them into bite sized pieces. Then, throw them into a small bowl, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp garlic powder, mix and cover the bowl to keep them warm.

6. About 5 minutes before your pasta is al dente, warm up 2 tbsp of rose harissa on medium heat in a pan large enough to accommodate the cooked pasta.

7. Once the harissa starts bubbling, add 8 - 10 tbsp of hot pasta water to thin it down. Add 5 tbsp nutritional yeast and stir until the mixture has a paste like consistency but is still thin enough to coat the pasta. If it seems very dry, add some olive oil.

8. Once al dente or cooked to your liking, drain the pasta and throw it in the pan. Mix until the pasta is evenly covered in a layer of harissa-and-yeast-deliciousness. Season with a generous scrunch of black pepper and a good pinch of Maldon salt or other coarse salt.

9. Divide the pasta into two bowls and top with pieces of fried aubergine. Enjoy!!!

Notes on Ingredients

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast gives this dish its cheesy flavour and creamy mouthfeel. As any proper vegan should, I love nutritional yeast and use it in so much of my cooking. The two brands I regularly buy — which taste identical — are Engevita Nutritional Yeast Flakes and Bosh Nooch Nutritional Yeast. You can find both of these brands at any larger UK supermarket.

Note that nutritional yeast cannot be substituted with yeast used for baking, such as instant or easy-bake yeast.

If you don’t have nutritional yeast on hand, you could substitute for a few tbsp of tahini to give the dish some creaminess.

Rose Harissa

Rose Harissa is a staple in my kitchen and I use it for all sorts of things: dressings, pasta sauces, roast potatoes, sandwiches…

The only harissa paste I ever buy is Belazu Rose Harissa simply because it tastes so much better than any other type I’ve tried so far — it’s not too spicy and has a subtle floral flavour that just makes it different. Because rose harissa is the main ingredient in this dish, I do recommend using it. You can find Belazu Rose Harissa at many UK supermarkets. If you can’t get your hands on it, you could use any other ‘regular’ harissa paste.